Olympic Tips You Can Apply to Your Job Search

Posted by The Editors on July 11, 2012

As I’ve been watching the Olympic trials these last few weeks, I can’t help but notice how these athletes operate. For years they train hard to make the trials in hopes of landing a coveted spot on their country’s team. From their multiple-day training sessions down to their performance uniform, these athletes can teach job seekers a few important tips on how to be the best.

Go for the gold and apply these three champion lessons to your every day job search.

Don Your Uniform

No matter how great you are in scrimmage, there’s just something about putting on that snazzy looking uniform that gives you the extra muscle to clench first. Your head is suddenly fully in the game and you’re ready to play like a star. So when you roll out of bed in the morning to start your job search, shed the flannel PJs and fuzzy slippers. Change into something nice, and you will feel better about yourself and will find it much easier to put your best foot forward. There’s certainly no need to dress up in a manner befitting an interview, but if you avoid lounging around in your sweats all day while you search for jobs, you’ll get out of that lazy mindset and tackle your day with confidence.

Get To Know the Course

Olympic athletes don’t compete without first getting to know the terrain. If they did, they’d be likely to make mistakes that could have easily been purged from their systems had they taken a few practice runs. So when you’re applying to jobs, make sure that you fully research every company you’re interested in – brush up on company history, news mentions, key figures in the firm, etc. – so that if you’re asked about any of these things in an interview you don’t draw a blank. You’ll be a better conversationalist in the interview, and a company will be far more excited to hire someone who knows his or her stuff.

Teamwork

Not all Olympic sports are a one-man show. And some of the most difficult training that takes place involves coordinating your strategy and movement with one, two, or ten other people. That’s why it’s important to work together. There’s no excuse not to network these days with websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google. So get out there, make friends, and share opportunities – build your roster, so to speak. Because in a time when social media has made its way into the practices of major corporations and news networks, if you don’t get on board, you’re going to get left behind. Equally important, make sure you’re a good sport – no provocative pictures or lewd comments online…you never know who will stumble upon them!

The whole process can be grueling, and an end may not be in sight. But bear in mind those Olympic champions that spend years training to master their sports – and even then they may not make the cut the first time around. Take a page from these athletes and stay at it. If you work hard enough, you might be taking home the gold sooner than you thought!

Founded in 2005 at Harvard, Stanford and MIT, Doostang was created with one goal in mind: to successfully advance ambitious young professionals in their careers. Doostang offers its members the opportunity to search thousands of high-quality, highly relevant job opportunities, and tools to leverage their inside connection to get hired. Follow Doostang on Twitter: @Doostang

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